AACSB Business Doctorate: AQ or PQ?

For people who are pursuing a doctorate degree in an AACSB accredited Business school, the issue of AQ (Academically Qualified) doctorate i.e. PhD versus a PQ (Professionally Qualified) doctorate i.e. DBA is an important one. We already know that there are more DBA options for distance learners than PhD. I was wondering if it makes a significant difference for a Business Doctorate in future whether its a PhD or DBA? I mean on the surface, you can easily guess that PhD will have acceptance EVERYWHERE, and you will need a sympathetic hiring committee who will prefer your DBA over a PhD candidates assuming all other factors are the same. Your thoughts on this issue?

 

I think a major difference is general public (including some employers) perception.
In my bike club there are JD, MDs, Ph.Ds (History and Science)* and a DBA (from USC). The DBA says very few people he meets know what a DBA is except "doing business as."

* What is the plural for Ph.D.anyway???

 

Good point. Would be interesting to see the DBA degree from a public perceptance standpoint. I guess most people won't really get the "doctor, who is not a MD and also not a Phd" thing.

 

First, a DBA would make you AQ as it is a research degree with a dissertation. I have a DBA and this has never been an issue as most of the time hiring committees never have even asked me about the doctorate. Most of the interviews that I had were mainly focused on research publications, teaching and working experience and reputation of the granting institution. If you don't like the DBA tag, you can call yourself Dr "X" and just add professional qualifications after your name. Students and general public are more impressed with people with prof qualifications on top of the Doctorate such as Dr. Joe Citizen PMP CPA than just Joe Citizen PhD as the latest gives the impression of an academic individual with little touch of reality.

 

Well, a PhD doesn't say much in my opinion. You can get a PhD in religion and then claim to be a financial consultant. A DBA alone doesn't do much either, it should be used to complement a professional qualification. A prospect customer would feel more compelled to hire a financial consultant with the title Dr. Joe Citizen CPA CFP than just Joe Citizen PhD. Most people that get DL doctorates use them just as a complement to an existing career or some others complement with professional qualifications such as CISSP, PMP, CPA, CFP, CMC among others.

 

I really don't think whether the doctorate is a DBA or PhD matters much; both are usually research-oriented degrees. If you're looking to obtain an academic position, your area of research and publications in peer-reviewed journals is much more important than the name of your degree.

Also, AACSB accreditation is probably more important than the name of the degree. An AACSB DBA would probably be more highly sought-after than a non-AACSB PhD; and the same vice-versa.

It also depends where you get your DBA. A European DBA is probably more research-oriented than a North American PhD; so this too makes a difference.

I wouldn't get too caught up in the "DBA" versus "PhD" debate. AACSB is more of an issue as is the area of research.

 

I'd bet that an individual who claimed to be "Dr. So-and-So, financial consultant" on the basis of his/her PhD in the History of Religion alone would be in some legal trouble in most jurisdictions.

 

DBA = Doing Business As ___________.

PhD = Post Hole Digger (these folks dig holes for political signs to be erected). Every successful political campaign will have a significant number of PhDs.

 

Said perfectly.

I interviewed at about 5 schools, the DBA/PhD issue never came up - I mentioned it in one presentation, and the committee interviewer said they are both doctorates, there was no issue.

I think the itnernational stigma was more of an issue than a PhD vs DBA. (But I showed them my dissertation, and the amount of research, and that eliminated that issue).

 

I have seen European doctoral dissertations that were literally 3 times longer than a typical North American doctoral dissertation. Of course, we shouldn't judge by quantity over quality, but when a literature review in a doctoral dissertation is longer than an ENTIRE dissertation, there are elements of depth that can be assessed.

In most North American doctorates, the dissertation phase can be a short as 1.5 years to as long as 2 or 3. The entire 5-year process of a European doctoral dissertation is committed to research and the writing of the document. Of course, most Europeans are not burdened with courses at the doctoral level and can usually get away with conferences and seminars. It's oftentimes like comparing apples and oranges.

I would think that the DBA versus PhD debate is not even an issue when someone is truly ready to apply for a tenure-track position.

 

Don't forget that in the past many North American schools produced DBAs that were full-research doctorates.

 

Based on the fact that it's embarrassing to put a North American doctorate next to the more research-oriented and 'superior' European one?

 

I really think, in general, the North American and European doctorates are different animals. This has more to do with the system of education in Europe versus North America.

By the time Europeans get to the doctoral level, they have specialised so much that additional courses are not required, hence the dissertation-only doctorates. North American education is more "broad based", especially at the undergraduate level. The first two years of a North American bachelor's degree are fairly broad and hence the requirement for courses at the doctoral level.

By the end of the doctoral process, both North American and European graduates are at the same level, but I think the Europeans might have better research skills whereas the North Americans have more knowledge of research process and procedure due to the more rigid process to obtain a doctorate. This is all a guess, but it's my general impression.

I think European doctorates are less structured and hence the much higher failure rate. It is not uncommon for the pass rate for European doctorates to be in the 20-30% range. It all comes out in the wash though.

 

European, at least continential are still very conservative. Their education systems do not really consider Doctorate compared to PhD. I have spoken to quite a few academics. For Europe, if you are a matured or mid career person trying to change to academic it is quite tough. Age is an issue. One question I heard during a PhD introduction was by a lady from Europe who was asking if Australia universities have any glass celling on age if you are in mid career trying to take a PhD to be an academic. Her experiences was that in Europe, there is.

 

Financial consultant is not a regulated profession so anyone can claim to be this type of professional. One thing that is happening too often now with independent consultants is the use PhD titles based on degree mills on business cards. As nowadays is so easy to buy one PhD from a barely legal institution, it is becoming normal to see accountants, computer consultants, financial planers and other independent consultants with PhD titles. Recently, few accounting bodies have banned the use of PhDs from degree mills in business cards but I don't think it is so easy to supervise.

 

DBA or PhD

Folks - I agree with the discussion in this forum. In my experience in hiring (both as employer and employee), the label DBA or PhD doesn't matter at all. As for being academic or professionally qualified - the degree label doesn't matter either. Check out the AACSB site and you can see what the requirements are - degree label isn't the issue.

What do we look for in hiring? An earned doctorate from a regionally accredited school or foreign equivalent in business or a closely related field is the basic requirement. Beyond this - we may rate more highly a grad out of a AACSB school. However, we also look at the "whole package" - what is the person's research track record? What do their teaching evaluations say about about their classroom skills? Do they have relevant experience (especially important for programs with mid-career adult students)?

Also, note that as as person moves on in their career the academic credential becomes less and less an issue - as long as they have an earned doctorate. The bigger question is "what have they done to develop themselves since graduation?"

Regards - Andy

 

Also, it is noteworthy that if you get the degree, you are AQ for 5 years. Then, each school has a standard of how to maintain the AQ status, that is the important part.